Following the
shock of Joseph Morley’s death, came the equally, if not more
shocking death of Bernhard Tragsdorf, one of the city’s
oldest and most respected businessmen. Mr. Tragsdorf was
killed Friday night by the midnight train, and his body mutilated
in a terrible manner. The exact manner in which Mr. Tragsdorf
met his death will never be known, for there were no witnesses to
the tragedy, and his death was not known until Saturday morning
when the body was found by Henry Marth. Mr. Marth is one of
the section men, and shortly after six o’clock while on his
way to work, he discovered the body lying along the railroad track
about 20 feet west of the depot platform. The head was
completely severed from the body, the body lying at a right angle
from the south rail. The authorities were notified and the
body later taken to the Lowe undertaking rooms. A
coroner’s inquest was held before Justice Crothers and after
the testimony was taken, a verdict of accidental death was
returned.

As stated, the
exact manner of Mr. Tragsdorf’s death will never be
known. Mr. Tragsdorf was in the waiting room of the depot up
to the time that the midnight train first whistled. He then
left the room alone, and went west upon the depot platform.
This was the last seen of him alive. From the position in
which the body lay, there was a rumor that he had been killed by
thugs and the body laid upon the track. This theory is not
substantiated by the fact that about 8 feet east of where the body
lay the rail was splashed with blood, demonstrating that an
east-bound train struck Mr. Tragsdorf, and that he was alive when
the train struck him. Mr. Tragsdorf was a man who never
carried sums of money, and although he did speak of going to
Milwaukee while he was at the depot, yet it is not probable that he
had any great amount of money in his pocket. His watch was
found on the body.

The most
plausible theory as to Mr. Tragsdorf’s death seems to be the
one which supposes that Mr. Tragsdorf had left the depot at the
time the train first whistled, about 10 minutes before due, and
that he walked west along the track to kill time. That he
went further than he intended and that the train came in while he
was gone. He hurried back to the train which was by that time
pulling out, and as he came along the side of the train he stumbled
and fell, striking upon his head and shoulder. The shock of
falling may have stunned him, and he fell in such a way that his
head lay across the rail, and as he was probably unconscious from
the fall, he could do nothing to save himself from
death.

To the bereaved
family and friends of Mr. Tragsdorf, the business world and friends
extend their deepest sympathy. An autobiography of Mr.
Tragsdorf was published in a special edition of the Times some
years ago, and as the data was furnished by the deceased it is
reprinted in part.

"Bernhard
Tragsdorf was born June 1, 1855, in Saxony, Germany. He
worked on a farm and learned the blacksmith trade while young and
came to America when only fifteen and settled in Washington County,
Wis., where he had an uncle, and he hired to a farmer and went to
school in the winter for two years. He then went into a
general store as clerk, at Batavia and from there to Neuburgh to
clerk for B. Dangers, in 1873.

He later went
to Plymouth and spent three years and then came to visit his
brother, Julius, in Neillsville, in 1875. This was at the
time called the "Al Brown winter: and it was "hard times". In
the spring after the next year he went to gardening for Kirkland
and in the fall Blakeslee starting a store he accepted a position
as clerk and stayed with him until 1880, when he went back to his
old home in Germany and spent six months visiting. Returning
to Neillsville he again went to work for Blakeslee and when that
gentleman sold out to J. Hammel & Co. he remained with
them. B. Dangers wrote him asking if there was an opening
here at that time and he replied "yes" and Mr. Dangers came here
from Sherman, Sheboygan County, and bought out John Klopf, and he
then went to work for Mr. Dangers and stayed with him until 1888,
when he went into partnership ….til 1899 and then started
the department store. Mr. Balch sold out his interest in this
firm in 1901 to Zimmerman & Kolar and the business ever
afterward was styled the Tragsdorf, Zimmerman &
Co.

Mr. Tragsdorf
was married in 1880 to Miss Bertha Wagner of this city, and to this
union seven children were born, six of whom survive to comfort the
bereaved wife and mother. The children are Will, who holds a
position as stenographer at the Panama Canal, Clara, Elsie, Lillie,
Walter and Edna. One brother, Julius, also survives Mr.
Tragsdorf. Bennie, as he was familiarly known, the little man
from the Big store, was a gentleman of scholarly attainments and a
man whose friendship it was an honor to have. In his business
dealings he was honorable and courteous and his genial disposition
won him the friendly feeling of all who knew him. As a
husband and father he lived a model life, as a citizen h was
progressive and ass a business man he was held in the highest
esteem. Mr. Tragsdorf was a deep thinker and an excellent
conversationalist, and the writer and others will sorely miss the
occasional expressions upon subjects that he was wont to
make.

The funeral was
held Tuesday afternoon at 2 o’clock from the family
residence, Rev. Hill of La Crosse officiating. The Woodmen,
of which order Mr. Tragsdorf was a member, conducted the
services. Roy Fitch of Madison, Mrs. Bauman of Wausau, Mrs.
Stueber of Winona and Mrs. Firstenberg of Marshfield were here for
the funeral.